(PORTSMOUTH, Ohio) – The Thomas More University men's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season Saturday afternoon on the road against the Shawnee State University Bears, 60-56.
After trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, the Saints clawed their way back to tie the game on three occasions over the final three and a half minutes but couldn't complete the comeback.
- Shawnee State jumped out to a seven-point lead at 14-7 with 8:18 remaining in the first half.
- A 6-0 run ensued for the Saints, fueled by a pair of threes from sophomore Wyatt Vieth (Hebron, Ky. / Saint Henry HS) and redshirt freshman Derek Eddings (Cincinnati, Ohio / La Salle HS), cutting the lead to 14-13 with 4:43 to play before halftime.
- The Bears would regain their advantage over the final few minutes, however, using a 15-8 run to go into the locker room up 29-21.
- Redshirt junior Reid Jolly (Alexandria, Ky. / Campbell County HS) led the team with six points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Casey George (Pickerington, Ohio / Pickerington North HS) also grabbed seven rebounds in the half.
- The second half began with Shawnee State taking a 12-point lead on a pair of occasions with the latest coming with 16:57 to play at 36-24.
- The Bears would continue to hold a steady advantage throughout the half, as the Saints briefly cut it to two (43-41) after a three-pointer from redshirt junior Noah Pack (Georgetown, Ohio / Georgetown HS) with 10:14 remaining.
- However, that lead would grow back to seven at 50-43 with under seven minutes to play.
- The Saints would come back and tie it up with 2:50 on the clock at 52-52 after a 9-2 rally that was manufactured by six points from George and three from Pack.
- The Saints would continue to hang around for the final few minutes but couldn't get over the hump and take the lead.
- A late three from the Bears with under a minute to play pushed it to a five-point lead and halted any hopes of a Thomas More comeback in their 60-56 defeat.
- Jolly and George both scored 11 points in the second half, while George also grabbed eight rebounds.
- Jolly (17p, 13r), George (14p, 15r), and Pack (11p, 12r) all recorded a double-double in the contest.
- It is Jolly's fifth double-double of the season, Pack's second in his last three games, and the first of George's collegiate career.
Thomas More is now 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Mid-South Conference. The Saints continue their road trip next week, where they travel to Tennessee for a pair of games, beginning at Freed-Hardeman University on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Last season, Thomas More bested the Lions in both of their games.
